Rumination and alexithymia serially mediate the relationship between mindfulness and anxiety symptoms in Chinese university students.
Junchao Yuan, Luyu Chen, Hongye Geng
Scientific Reports July 16, 2025 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-025-11973-0 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Cross-sectional study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 860 |
| Population | Chinese university students |
| Topics | Meditation Anxiety |
| Keywords | Alexithymia Anxiety symptoms Mediation analysis Rumination University students |
| Citations | 1 |
| Key findings | Mindfulness is associated with lower anxiety symptoms through serial mediation by rumination and alexithymia. |
Abstract
Anxiety symptoms are highly prevalent among Chinese university students, significantly impairing psychosocial functioning. Although mindfulness has been identified as a protective psychological factor, the precise mechanisms underlying its association with anxiety symptom alleviation remain insufficiently understood. This study investigates the serial mediation effects of rumination and alexithymia in the relationship between mindfulness and anxiety symptoms. A cross-sectional study was conducted with 860 Chinese university students. Validated psychometric instruments were administered, including the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS), Ruminative Response Scale (RRS), Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20), and Screen for Adult Anxiety Related Disorders (SCAARED). Serial mediation analyses were performed using SPSS 25.0 and Hayes’ PROCESS macro (Model 6), controlling for sex and academic grade. Higher mindfulness levels showed robust associations with lower anxiety symptom severity. This relationship was primarily linked to interconnected cognitive and affective pathways. The analysis revealed that individuals reporting higher mindfulness exhibited lower tendencies toward repetitive negative thinking (rumination), which corresponded to lower anxiety levels. Simultaneously, higher mindfulness was associated with lower alexithymia that typically co-occur with anxiety symptoms. Crucially, a sequential pathway emerged: higher mindfulness correlated with lower rumination, which in turn corresponded to fewer emotional processing difficulties (alexithymia), ultimately associating with fewer anxiety symptoms. Collectively, these indirect pathways accounted for most of mindfulness’s observed relationship with anxiety symptoms, highlighting interconnected roles of cognitive and emotional factors. Mindfulness shows protective associations with anxiety symptoms through dual correlations: correspondence with lower rumination and relationship with lower alexithymia. These findings advocate for interventions addressing both cognitive patterns and emotional regulation in culturally adapted campus mental health programs. The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1038/s41598-025-11973-0.
Comparable studies
Other cross-sectional and survey studies on anxiety, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Psychological flexibility mediates the relations between acute psychedelic effects and subjective decreases in depression and anxiety. International sample of people who reported having used a psychedelic | 2020 | Cross-sectional survey | n = 985 |
| The Challenging Experience Questionnaire: Characterization of challenging experiences with psilocybin mushrooms Internet survey respondents reporting challenging experiences with psilocybin | 2016 | Questionnaire development and validation | |
| Psychedelics and Mental Health: A Population Study Adult population in the United States | 2013 | Cross-sectional survey | n = 130,152 |
| Ecstasy/MDMA attributed problems reported by novice, moderate and heavy recreational users Ecstasy users who participated in a WWW study of recreational drug use | 2002 | Cross-sectional survey | n = 282 |
| 5-methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine (5-MeO-DMT) used in a naturalistic group setting is associated with unintended improvements in depression and anxiety. Adults who used 5-MeO-DMT in a group setting with structured procedures | 2019 | Cross-sectional survey | n = 362 |
Citations in the library
Cites 24
- The benefits of being present: Mindfulness and its role in psychological well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 2003
- Mechanisms of mindfulness Journal of Clinical Psychology December 29, 2005
- How Does Mindfulness Meditation Work? Proposing Mechanisms of Action From a Conceptual and Neural Perspective Perspectives on Psychological Science October 14, 2011
- Standardised Mindfulness-Based Interventions in Healthcare: An Overview of Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses of RCTs PLoS One April 16, 2015
- Effects of mindfulness-based interventions on alexithymia: a systematic review Evidence-Based Mental Health August 4, 2018
and 19 more in the library